Improvement in shaft-supporters for carriage-harness



G. U. EASTMAN. Shaft-Supporters for Carriage-Harness. No. 199,148.Patent-ed Jan. 15, 187 8.;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE O. EASTMAN, OF LEWISTON, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHAFT-SUPPORTERS FOR CARRIAGE-HARNESS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 199,148, dated January15, 1878; application filed June 9, 1877'.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE G. EASTMAN, ofLewiston, of the county of Androscoggin, of the State of Maine, haveinvented a new and useful Carriage-Shaft Supporter; and do herebydeclare the same to be described in the following specification andrepresented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is ,a sideView, Fig. 2 an edge elevation, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal and transversesection, of it. Figs. 4 and 5 are hereinafter explained.

The said shaft or thill supporter is provided with an elastic packing,projected within it in manner as shown, such packing being to receive acarriage-shaft, and while in use prevent it from contact with, and beingworn by, the metallic body of the supporter. Thepacking also preventsthe noise that would resu were such packing not so used.

This thill-supporter is specially constructed for receiving andsustaining such packing. Besides, it has extending through it, andarranged as represented, two slots for receiving a breeching-strap. Italso has two eyes at top and bottom, a single intermediate loop, and asingle buckling-stud, and a ridge or bridge for supporting the latter,all being arranged as represented.

In the drawings,'the annular packing is shown at A as arranged in themiddle of the metallic body of the shaft supporter. The eyes arerepresented at G D, the intermediate loop at E, the buckling-stud at F,and its sustaining ridge or bridge at G, such bridge being extendedacross the annular packing.

The body, with the eyes, bridge, and loop, is divided in two separateparts, in aplane indi cated by the line H H, Fig. 1, such parts beingshown in Figs. 4 and 5 in edge View. From one of them dowels a areprojected to enter corresponding holes in the other.

The two parts of the body are held together and against the packing byscrews 8 8, extended into one and screwed into the other. Thebreeching-strap slots are shown at c 0. One only would suffice for eachthill-supporter 5 but in order to enable the article to be used foreither shaft, I make such article with two of the slots arranged in it,as represented.

By buckling the'breeching-strap of a harness to the thill-supporter, thelatter, by bearing against the holdback, will serve with such holdbackall the purposes of the latter, and enable the horse, when the tracesbecome detached from the whiffletree, to go free of the shafts, withoutfirst requiring detachment of the breechin g from the holdbacks.

Without the bridge or ridge, the single stud could not be used at themiddle of the thillsupporter.

In my improved article I employ but one stud, F, and one loop, E. Bymeans of the bridge or ridge, the strap, in going over it, becomes soraised off the body as to be more easily seized for being unbuckled.Furthermore, the ridge is advantageous in other respects.

I claim as of my invention as follows:

1. A shaft supporter provided with the bridge G, the buckling-stud F,the eyes 0 l), and the loop E, arranged as set forth.

2. A shaft-supporter provided with one or more eyes or slots, 0, appliedto it or arranged in it as represented, for reception of abreeching-strap, as set forth.

3. A shaft-supporter constructed in two sections, and provided with anannular packing, A, arranged between them as specified, and having suchsections and packing held in place by screws, arranged in them as setforth.

4. A shaft-supporter made intwo separate parts, and having a packingbetween them, and also having a stud-supporting bridge eX- tending fromone to the other of them, and across the packing, such parts and packingbeing screwed together by screws, and all being essentially as shown anddescribed.

5. A shaft-supporter body constructed in two separate sections,connectedby screws, as described, and formed to receive and hold betweenthem the said sections, an annular packing, and provided with eyes, anintermediate loop, and a bridge and buckling-stud, all beingsubstantially as explained.

GEORGE C. EASTMAN.

